Authentic Chicken Lo Mein Recipe

    Do you like noodles? Have you always thought of Chinese food, as your "go to," option for delicious weeknight meals? If you're anything like me, you've always wanted to learn how to make Chicken Lo Mein the real way. Making noodles from scratch, is a very labor intensive process, however, here's a quick shortcut! Are you ready?

Here's what you'll need:

                                       1 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
                                       1 pckg Chinese Noodles (I used a packet of fresh House Noodles)
                                       1 2 inch nug of fresh Ginger
                                       1 Clove Garlic
                                       1/2 Red Bell Pepper Julienne Sliced
                                       2 Mushrooms (I used Portobello since they're meatier)
                                       1 Serrano Chili
                                       White Bok Choy (I used 4 stocks, you can add more, or leave it out)
                                       1 bunch Scallion thinly sliced
                                       1 Mexican Green Onion (with large bulb sliced diagonally)
                                       2 Tbsp Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
                                       1 Tsp Dark Soy Sauce
                                       4 Tbsp Peanut Oil
                                       2 Tsp Sesame Oil
                                       1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
                                       Sesame Seed for garnish

Okay, here we go! First, it is important to start by prepping your ingredients, because you're going to be cooking with higher heat than usual, and you won't want to burn your dish. I prepped my vegetables, cutting, chopping, dicing, and slicing them into respectively uniform sizes. Then, I washed the chicken breast, before patting dry, and slicing it thinly. Yup! That's another Chinese cooking technique! The meats are always sliced thinly in order to cut the cooking process in half! Haven't you ever wondered how your order is always ready so fast, and remains hot? That's how!

Next, you'll season your chicken with some salt & pepper. Then, add part of the ginger and, garlic to it. Set aside marinating for ten to twenty minutes refrigerated. In a separate pot, add some water, then turn heat to high, and start boiling. This will help prep. your noodles. When you observe some bubbles forming, that's when you'll salt the water, and give it a stir. Next, turn the other burner on high, and place the Wok down. If you don't own a Wok, don't panic! This can be cooked in a regular pan that's big enough to house all your ingredients, just like you do, when making an Italian pasta dish! That's right! The Chinese, practically invented pasta!

While your Wok - pan is heating up, add in a drizzle of peanut oil, since you want it to be slightly smokey. Technically, any oil with a higher smoking point is key, here. Traditionally, they use peanut oil, and you know how I like keeping things authentic, and traditional, so that's how I did it.

Then, you'll add the chicken, but, make sure your pan is evenly coated with oil first. Stir fry that for 2 minutes, then remove and, set aside. Now, add your vegetables, stir fry, for 1 min and set aside. Meanwhile, check on your noodles, making sure they don't overcook. You'll want to boil them for 2 minutes maximum. No more, no less. Trust me on this one! Here's a pro tip: during cooking, you can go in with cooking chopsticks, and give them a quick shake every 20 seconds, so that they don't stick together during this process. You may also want to add a drizzle of vegetable oil.

Once the noodles are done, strain them using a colander, and place them into a bowl with cold water. Using your hand, make sure you gently shake the noodles to spring them apart if there are any of them stuck together. After that, add re-oil your Wok, and add the chicken, noodles, vegetables, more light soy sauce, and some oyster sauce, along with the remainder of the ginger, and garlic. Give it a few quick tosses, then, turn the heat off, and garnish with some sesame seeds. Plat it up, and guess what? You're done! Yes! That's it!

Oh! Wait! If you still haven't figured out the recipe for the noodle sauce? It's the combination of oyster sauce, and soy sauce with garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Yup! It's that simple! You can also, add in half teaspoon of sugar if you'd like, but I didn't. It's all up to you after all! You're the Chef!

Here's the video recipe just so you can see how it all comes together!
I really hope you've enjoyed this recipe for Chicken Lo Mein. Feel free to add this dish to your arsenal of weeknight go to meals. Enjoy!